Nut or pipe wrench.



No. '730,311 PATENTED JUNYEYQ, 1.9031.

D. STEWART. l

NUT 0R PIPE WR'ENGH. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. `8, 1902.

1U) MODEL.

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No. v'eol i.

'atented June Q, 1903".

PATENT OFFICE.

DAviD .sTEwARn 0E' Govan, SCOTLAND.

NUT 0R PIPE wRENoi-i;l

srncrrrcn'rron forming part of Lettersratent Nar/'3031 1, dated .rune 9, ie. Amtsantritt september a 1902. sain No. 122.499. da man To a/ZZ whom t muy concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID STEWART, a citizen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 27 Thompson street, Govan, county of Lanark, Scotland, temporarily sojourning in the United States of America, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Nut and Pipe Wrenches,of which the following is a specification, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of my invention is to provide a nut or pipe wrench of a simple and cheap form of construction so made that the same will not easily get out of order, which maybe instantly adj usted to itany nut or pipe withinwide limits of diameter, and which when placed thereon will tightly-grip such nut or pipe, so as to not slip thereon.

Such invention consists in substance of a slide-bar forming a handle provided at one end with a working face to grip thernut or pipe, usually corrugated, which slide-bar handie is provided on the front edge with a screwthread rack;` a slide-piece sliding thereon; a jaw-piece having a working face similar to the working face of the slide-bar handle, usually also corrugated, pivoted to the slide-piece; a spring normally forcing the working end of the jaw-piece toward the slide-bar handle; a finely-toothed or corrugated rack-face formed on the edge of the body portion ofthe jawpiece abutting against the rear of the slide'- bar handle; a dog having a similarly-toothed face located in the slide-bar handle adjacent to the working face coacting with the toothed face of the jaw-piece to hold the same against movement during working; aspringnormally forcing the dog and jaw-piece away from the handle; two cheeks forming extensions of the jaw portion of the slide-bar or handle extending back on either side of the jaw-piece to prevent side motion thereof; aworm-screw revolubly mounted on ashaft, which shaft is pivoted at the end adjacent to the working jaw to the slide-piece or bracket-sleeve, so as to spring into and out of engagement with 1 bracket, so as to secure the worm inthe working position in contact with the screw-thread rack; a shoulder formed on the slide-bar or handle; a tang forming an extension of the handle below the shoulder; a collar fitting on 'the shoulder,provided with oppositely-located spring side pieces bellying away from the edges of the tang at the center, extending nearlyto the outer end of the tang; handlepieces fashioned on the inner side so as to fit into the spaces between the spring side pieces and the tang and at the end so as to tit into the collar, and a conical thiinble secured upon the extreme end of the tang covering the lower'end of the handle-pieces, so as to secure the saine and the collar in position against displacement, although it is not to be understood that the invention is necessarily limited to a device comprising at once all of the elementsbefore enumerated, as the same consists in the particular construction of certain devices and parts and the particular construction, combination, and arrangement of certain devices and parts, all as hereinafter particularly set forth in the specification and pointed ont in the claims.

My said invention is fully set forth in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawings form apart, wherein similar characters of reference designate like or equivalent parts wherever found throughout the several views, and in which- Figure 1 is a side view in elevation of my Vimproved nut and pipe wrench, the position `yassumed b v the actuating thumb-actuated worm-screw when swungout of engagernentv with its coacting screw-thread rack on the handle-bar being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a view, on an enlarged scale, partially in section, of the head or jaw portion of the device shown in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a like view of the handle portion, one of the handle-pieces being removed; and Fig. 4 is an inside view of the handle-piece so removed from the device in Fig. 3.

vReferring to the drawings, my improved wrench consists of an arm or handle-bar or slide-piece A, provided at the bottom with a tang 10, between which and the main body portion `of the handle is the shoulder l1. This piece A is provided on the front edge with a screw-thread or toothed rack G, meshing with the thread of a worm-gear thumb-nut l),rev olubly mounted upon a short shaft l2, piv- IOO oted at the lower end upon a pivot-pin 13 to the sliding piece 14 in the form of a sleeve, which fits snugly upon the handle-bar A, but so as to slide easily thereon. The handle-bar A is usually of the channel-bar form shown in order to combine strength with lightness, and when of such form the sliding piece 14: is provided with inwardly-extending central portions (not shown) to t into the channels of the bar, and in all cases the same is provided with a spring-catch E of any desired form adapted to coact with the grooved top 12' of the shaft l2, so as to keep the same normally in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, with the thumb-nut D in actuating engagement with the screw-rack of the bar A. Pivoted to the rear side of the sliding sleeve 14 is the jaw-piece I, provided with the jaw-head 15, which, like the jaw-head 16 of the bar A, is usually provided with the serrations or teeth shown in order to get a better hold upon the pipes or nuts to be rorated, and extending backward of the pivotjoint toward the tang end of the bar A is an extension 17 of the jaw-piece I, which moves in and out of a socket formed to receive it, and the rear face of the slide-piece or sleeve 14 and the abutting face of the jaw-piece being curved to t one another the play upon the pivot-joint 18 thereof is limited to just sucient amount to allow of adjustment easily upon the nut or pipe.

Projecting backward on either side of the jaw-piece I from either side of the jaw-head 16 of the barA is a side lug 19, between which the bar of such jaw-piece plays freelyin and out as swung upon the pivot-joint 1S, and also playing between these two side lugs 19 is a spring-dog 20, actuated by a spiral spring 21, the rear face of which is provided with ine down wardly-faced serrations or teeth 22, adapted to register with coacting downwardly-faced similar teeth forming a rack 23 on the inner abutting face of the jaw-piece I, so as to hold the jaws more firmly upon the pipe or nut, and it will be seen that as the dog 20 normally forces the jaw-piece I away from the handle-bar A this will cause thejaws to open, so as to permit of a fresh adjustment y of the wrench Whenever the handle-bar is released from pressure.

The handle-bar A ends below the shoulder 11 in a tang 10 of a somewhat flattened form, and on the shoulder fits a collar 25, formed integral with which at the sides are the spring side pieces 26, bellying away from the tang at the center, such collar and side pieces being usually formed of metalsomewhat resilient, and the end of the tang when the collar is in position extending slightly beyond such side pieces, as shown, which are of the same thickness as such tang in its narrowest dimension.

When the parts are assembled, the main' chamfer at one end to lit into the collar 25, two inside tongues 28 to fit down into the spaces between the edges of the tang 10 and the side pieces 26, and also with an end chamfer 29, over which and the chamfered ends of the side pieces 26 ts the conical metallic s ecuring-thimble 30, which after being firmly ldriven home is secured in position by a pin 31, driven through the same and through the tang 10, as shown.

When the ywrench is to be used, the worin thumb-nut D is thrown out of engagement with the rack on the bar A into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, when the slide piece or sleeve 14 may be freely reciprocated, the toothed dog 2O when the jawpiece I is allowed to fall by gravity fully away from the bar A being out of engagement with the tooth-rack of such jaw-piece, the opening of the jaws beingin this manner set approximately to the size of the nut or pipe to be rotated. The thumb worm-nut D is swung hack into engagement with the rack of the handle-bar A, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, and by rotation of such nut the jaws are tightened upon such nut or pipe, when by then drawing forward upon the handle the toothed dog 20 will be forced back against the toothed rack of the jaw-pieces I, and as it is forced farther back the consequent tighter gripping of the nut or pipe caused by the changing angle of the jaws by the rocking of the jaw-piece on the pivot-joint 1S will give a firm hold of the device upon such nut or pipe.

Having now described my said invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a handle-piece forming a combined slide-bar and handle and provided with a j aw-head and withascrew-thread rack on the edge, of a slide piece or sleeve reciprocating on the bar, a jaw-piece pivotally secured to the sliding sleeve so as to be inca pable of more than a slight rocking movement, a worm thumb-nut revolubly mounted upon a shaft pivoted to the sliding sleeve, a spring-catch for the free end of the pivoted shaft carried by the sleeve, rack-teeth much finer than the screw-rack formed on the edge of the bar of the jaw-piece facing the handlebar, a dog having a working face provided with similar coacting teeth carried by the jawhead of the handle-bar, and a spring for normally forcing the dog toward the jaw-piece, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a handle-piece forming a combined slide-bar and handle and provided with a jaw-head and with a screw-thread rack on one edge, of a slide piece or sleeve reciprocating on the bar, a jaw-piece pivotally secured to the sliding sleeve so as to be incapable of more than a slight rocking movement on such pivot, a worm thumb-nut revolubly mounted upon a shaft pivoted to tho IOO IIO

sliding sleeve, a catch forlocking the free end of the shaft to the sliding sleeve, rack-teeth much ner than the screw-thread rack of the handle-bar formed on the edge of the bar of the jaw-piece facing the handle-bar, a dog having a Working face provided with similar coacting teeth carried by the jaw-head ofthe handle-bar, and a spring for normally forcing theA dog toward the jaw-piece, and side cheeklugs extending from the jaw-head over the dog and back over the bar of the jawpiece so as to prevent side stra-in upon the pivot thereof, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a handle-bar, of a slidesleeve reciprocatingthereon, a vjaw-piece pivoted to the slide-sleeve, a jaw-head carried by the handle-bar, a dog reciprocating inthe jaw-head of the handle-bar provided with fine serrations or teeth, adapted to coact with similar oppositely-faced teeth formedA on .the abutting edge of the b ar of the pivoted jawpiece when in contact therewith, means for normally forcing the dog toward the jawpiece, and means for locking the sleeve upon the handle-bar, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a devlce of the class described, the combination with a handle-bar of a shoulder rigidly secured thereon, a tang extending beyond the shoulder, a collar secured upon the shoulder, side pieces formed integral with the collar extending nearly to they end of the tang and bellying away from the tang at the center, two handle-pieces chamfered at the endsv and provided on the inner side with tongues or projections adapted to fit into Ithe spaces between the bellied portions of the side pieces of the .collar and the tang, a thimble tting oventhe endsof the tang, side pieces and handle-pieces, and means for securing such thimble to the tang so as to hold all such parte in position, substantially as shown and described.

5. Ina device of the class described, the combination with a handle-bar, of a slidesleeve reciprocating thereon, a jaW-piece.pivoted to the slide-sleeve, a j aw-head carried by the handle-bar, means for locking the sleeve uponv the handle-bar, anda spring-plunger adapted to contact with the jaw-piececarried by the jaw-head of the handle-bar, and springmeans normally preventing contact of the jaw-piece With the real-edge ofthe handle-bar at the upper end, substantially as shown and described. Y

In testimony whereofv I have afxed my name to the present specication in the pres ence of two witnesses.'

DAVID STEWART.

Witnesses:

.JAMES LAWRENCE,

EDWARD E. KRIEGSMANN. 

